Infant exercisers have been available for a number of years. Commonly these exercisers have a saddle, seat, or sling which is supported much like a swing from a bracket which is clamped to the jamb in a doorway or to an overhead beam. U.S. Pat. No. 2,868,292 discloses a typical structure which has been marketed under the trade designation Johnny Jump Up. In this device, the swing ropes are held apart by a lateral cross bar. Other commercially available exercisers are known as the "Hop Skip Jumper", and the "Jolly Jumper" in which a molded plastic bucket or seat is provided for the infant.
The devices which have heretofore been provided are not entirely safe and can lead to accidents. In some of the prior exercisers, the infant is not securely fastened and can fall out of the device. In other exercisers, the device can tilt or topple, suspending the infant upside down and leading to injuries. The devices which are formed of a rigid plastic seat have rigid edges which can bump against the door jambs resulting in finger and hand injury to the infant when the infant grasps the sides of the seat. In none of the devices has there been any provision for substantially totally enclosing the upper torso and head of the infant, particularly the sides and back of the upper torso and head.
All of the prior devices have been marketed solely for infants, and their designs and structures limit their use to infant exercisers. These devices, however, have a potential market as exercisers in other applications, e.g., as physical therapy aids for injured and partially paralyzed children and adults, and as strenuous activity exercisers. For use in such applications as well as for use as infant exercisers, the exerciser should be designed with safety features which are lacking in the current products.